Conventional toilet design has remained the same for decades. As is known in the art toilets have a base with an integrated bowl having an opening with a hingedly attached lid and seat. A tank is operably secured to the base and provides the water necessary to operate the toilet. The conventional design of the toilet base includes a bottom portion that is generally perpendicular to the floor that is integrally formed with the bowl in the front area and tapers to a more narrow width proximate the rear end in the area generally underneath the tank.
One problem with conventional toilet design is their fairly large footprint. In homes with small bathrooms it is a challenge to maximize the available storage space subsequent the installation of a toilet and a small vanity. Smaller bathrooms often lack suitable storage areas for items such as but not limited to personal hygiene and other toiletries. Currently, individuals will use shelving or racks placed above the toilet tank or on the bathroom walls in an effort to create storage space for items. While these storage shelves and racks provide additional space, the storage they offer is generally limited. Additionally, utilization of shelves and/or racks does not provide concealed storage for items that an individual may not want to be displayed on a rack or shelf.
Another issue with conventional toilet design is the lack of maximizing available space in the base of the toilet. Conventional toilet bases have a consistent footprint in terms of width proximate the front end and rear end of the base but the design of the base proximate the rear end that contains the plumbing is significantly more narrow in width than the bowl and the edge superposed the floor. Utilization of this space to form an integrated storage compartment would provide concealed storage for personal hygiene items that are often applied during use of a toilet as well as provide additional storage space for smaller bathrooms.
Accordingly there is a need for a toilet having a base that includes an integral storage compartment proximate the rear end behind the bowl and underneath the tank wherein the base can include the integral storage compartments on the left side and/or the right side of the toilet base.